


Betcha By Golly Wow

by SerenaJones



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M, Romance, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25444192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenaJones/pseuds/SerenaJones
Summary: An old song brings new love. Happy Birthday, Jou.
Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto
Kudos: 9





	Betcha By Golly Wow

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks and all hail to Thom Bell and Linda Creed for writing a sweetly magical song. Originally recorded by The Stylistics in 1972, it was famously remade by Prince in 1996. This story was written prior to his death.

As much as the squealing annoyed him, he still found himself laughing at it. At the screaming fangirls, at the mobs of fanboys, even. At the absurdity of the whole situation.

"This is crazy, right!" Mokuba stared out the limo window and waved at the screaming fans. "This is, like, bigger than when we opened KaibaLand Two!" He suddenly turned around and faced his older brother. "Are you gonna do another one? Otogi totally says you should do another one!"

"I am not in the habit of doing things because 'dice boy' recommends them." Seto opened the netbook in his lap. "And eventually, I do need to return to my office."

"But why? This is way more fun!"

"For you, perhaps." Seto let a small smile slip through. "I will allow that it is entertaining to watch the lengths people will go to to get my attention."

"Especially the girls!" Mokuba laughed and looked out the window again. "Some of them are so hot!"

Seto had to chuckle. It had not been any of the admittedly hot girls that had made him catch his breath. Some of the boys had been virtually volcanic. And many of the backstage invitations had been beyond blatant.

He sighed. The hot boys had sadly not included the one who mattered.

"Hey, nii-sama? This interview's with the American from Entertainment Now, right?"

"I believe so." There were actually four interviews scheduled, and then Seto could return to the solitude of his office again.

"Cool. She's hot."

Seto found himself chuckling again.

* * * * *

"Can you imagine a wall street CEO becoming a rock star?" The talking head asked her co-heads.

"I can't even imagine one of them listening to rock!" The second head quipped. "I mean, Queen, Wayne, Holt - they all have the personality of wet cardboard!" The trio laughed.

"Well, today in the studio, we have a CEO from Japan who has charted in the top 40 not only across Asia, but in the UK and right here in the US. Seto Kaiba will be with us after the break."

There was a frozen moment where everyone on or near the set held their breath.

"And we are clear!" A voice yelled out. "Three minutes!"

The make-up girl brushed a last bit of powder on Seto's chin as his stylist did a last touch on his hair.

"Mr. Kaiba?" The director bowed awkwardly. "We're ready for you, over here. Here, let me fix that mic." His hand shook slightly as he adjusted the mic clipped to Seto's tie.

"Relax." Seto used his most charming smile. "I don't bite."

The man gave a lopsided grin and blushed slightly. "I wouldn't mind if you did," he whispered. Then he cleared his throat and stepped away. "Ok people! Act like you like your jobs! Over here, sir."

The interview set was only a few steps away and looked like a pseudo-hip living room. The she-head, the he-head, and the comic-relief-head stood and shook Seto's hand. Less than a minute later, they were seated, smiling and poised.

"Five, four, three," the voice yelled out. Then there were two beats of silence before the red light on the top of the nearest camera lit.

"Company executives are known for making big money and big decisions," the he-head said. "But not many are known for big talents outside the boardroom. Seto Kaiba took the stage by storm with his remake of the 70's R&B classic 'Betcha By Golly Wow'. Here's a clip."

The monitor beside the camera blinked to life and began playing at the chorus of the song. The video had been uploaded to YouTube a dozen times, so Seto had seen it before. Prince and he, sharing a mic, singing in surprisingly good harmony.

_Betcha by golly wow  
You're the one that I've been waiting for forever  
And ever will my love for you  
Keep growing strong  
Keep growing strong._

They played almost a minute of the song, then cut back to the couches.

"Seto Kaiba, Wow!" the she-head gushed. "You have an amazing voice!"

"Thank you." Seto nodded graciously. "But Prince is far more talented."

"So was that planned?" The comic-relief-head asked. "Did you two rehearse?"

"No. Not by me, at least."

"So how did this happen? Walk us through it."

"Well. We added a new section to the KaibaLand park near Tokyo. Candyland. As part of the celebration, we had a concert and invited artists who had recorded 'candy' related songs. Aguilera sang 'Candyman' with a children's dance troupe, and Kyary performed 'Candy Candy' which was a hit in the k-pop markets. One of my staff knew the Prince song and played it for me while we were considering acts for the concert. I thought it had a very sweet, childlike sentiment, and since it does mention 'candyland', I decided to include it."

"And the purple one agreed?"

"Yes. He was quite excited about the prospect of participating."

"So how did you wind up doing a duet?"

“He called me on-stage with him - quite impromptu, I should add. I thought he was going to mention his new contract with Kaiba Entertainment. Once the music started, he told the audience he would only sing if I did." Seto chuckled artfully. "Apparently, Prince had noticed me singing along when I came to the dress rehearsal and thought it was a good idea.”

"So you knew the song already."

"No. But I have an eidetic memory. By the night of the concert I knew every song that every performer had prepared."

"And for those in our audience who don't know, what is an eidetic memory?"

"I remember everything I hear, even if I only hear it once."

"Really!"

"You must be loads of fun - always remembering who said what over dinner!"

They all laughed.

"Now, tell me something. You're not looking at the audience. Jerry, can you put the video up again? This is from the original concert footage, right? There, see? You keep looking off right. Now I happen to know that you are considered the most eligible bachelor in Tokyo - but that looks like you are off the market."

Seto hesitated. The marketing department had insisted that he be open and friendly during these interviews. "Well, I'm not dating anyone."

"Oh my God, he's blushing! There is someone special!"

"Perhaps better to say that the song reminds me of someone. A spark of magic in the eye, full of wonder and surprise. But this person has never shown any interest in me, so I'm quite sure -"

"So ask!" The she-head was positively giddy. "Audience, what do you say; should Seto ask this girl - it is a girl, right? We don't want to put you too much on the spot - applaud if you think that Seto should ask her out right now."

The audience applauded and cheered loudly.

He didn't want to, but he couldn't think of a graceful way out. And one of the cameras was rolling forward to focus on him.

"Very well. I sincerely doubt you are watching this, but if by chance you are," He gave the audience a moment to hush. "I will not disclose your identity - there are some things that should be private." He paused, trying to think of way to make the invitation personal but discrete. "Yin always seeks yang; blue seeks red. Dogs were once connected with dragons and could be again, if you have any luck. If you understand this message - and I have any dignity remaining after this broadcast - meet me tomorrow. You know where I'll be."

* * * * *

They made him sing - which he expected. They asked if he was planning to record another song - which he was not.

The later interviews asked about The Date, which had already gone viral on the web. Contests had sprung up with people trying to guess what the clues meant. The four interviews had been scheduled to take only a few hours, but instead managed to absorb his entire day.

Mokuba was having a field day.

"I know it's not a girl." He mused in the limo as they finally made their way home. "That's just stupid. Blue and red. Purple? Are you trying to get with Prince? That's kinda weird - but it would be kinda cool, too."

"I assure you, it is not Prince."

Mokuba considered it some more. "I'd say it was someone who had a dog, but then you'd have to have a dragon."

"I do have a dragon. I have several."

"Cards!" Mokuba dismissed. Then he bolted upright. "Wait! Is there a dog card?" He pulled out his cell phone and began typing.

Seto let him search. He was curious to see if anyone figured out the off-the-cuff code he'd glibly tossed out. He'd be floored if anyone did; the two most likely to recognize all the clues, were unlikely to believe the answer they suggested.

He had no hope whatsoever that the recipient would respond - even if he did understand every word.

* * * * *

Seto couldn't sleep.

What if he really did show up?

What if tomorrow he strode into the office, then what? Dinner? A date? A relationship? Impossible!

And tomorrow was a terrible day to have chosen. Seto had picked it mostly because he didn't think anyone would respond. But if he did respond - if he got the message, and knew where to go, and actually showed up - Seto would have no time to even talk to him! All the work from today had been pushed on to tomorrow's schedule. Plus there were other meetings scheduled.

But he couldn't be there tomorrow. Seto doubted he was even in America. There were no major events in the dueling world, so he was most likely at home. Seto was only in the States because of the stupid song. And as soon as he could, he planned to return to Japan where reporters were civilized and knew better than to ask someone to ask the love of their life on a date on nationwide television and the world wide web.

Not that anyone could have construed that rambling nonsense as an invitation. Not that anyone would have accepted the invitation from him even if they understood his intent.

Seto realized that his own mind was creating his anxiety. It was foolish to dwell on the situation. It was a silly interview, and a laughable position, and a juvenile wish. A fairy tale.

_Never thought that fairy tales come true  
But they come true  
When I'm near you_

Go to sleep, Seto ordered himself again. If he comes - which he won't - I don't want to look like I was awake all night.

* * * * *

Morning had come, and with it had come common sense and rational thought. Pining like a schoolgirl would solve nothing. The real problem was that with Mokuba growing up, and spending more time with friends his own age, Seto was becoming more aware of his own lack of companionship. The song’s themes of lasting love and magical connection appealed to most people. Seto was human; clearly those themes had affected him. The solution was obvious - Seto needed a companion. That was easy enough to solve. He could hire someone within the week most likely.

At breakfast, Seto read the paper while Mokuba tried to guess Seto’s special someone.

“Come on, nii-sama, at least give me a clue!”

“I must admit, I’m terribly hurt.” Seto flipped the page casually. “My own brother cannot guess. I suspect my day will pass rather uneventfully.”

“Come on! A small clue! Was he actually at the Candyland opening?”

“I don’t see how that could be useful. As I recall, between the guests, staff and entertainers, there were close to 1,000 people in attendance.”

“So it won’t hurt to say yes or no, right?”

Seto considered it. “Yes. He was actually at the Candyland opening.”

“Do I know him?”

“That is a pointless question. How many people do I know that you do not?”

“Oh yeah.” Mokuba pondered the new information while chewing an egg thoughtfully. “Does he work for KaibaCorp?”

Seto looked up. “Actually, yes. He does.” For one of the dueling events, it had been easier to ‘hire’ all the non-competing duelist and pay them as employees. There had never been a reason to terminate them, so almost all the top tier technically worked for them.

“Ok. Roland.”

Seto flipped the newspaper down and looked at his brother in confusion. “Roland?”

“Dogs and dragons are both protectors, you guys are kind of yin and yang of each other, and he always knows where you are.”

He considered it for a moment. It wasn’t Roland, but he wasn’t the worse fit for the puzzle. “What about blue seeks red?”

“I don’t get that part.”

“Ah. You must solve that. Honestly, I believe it’s rather a give away to the whole thing.” He went back to reading. “No, not Roland.”

“Nii-sama? Do you think whoever he is will show up today?”

“I can’t imagine that he even saw the interview.”

* * * * *

Few people knew Seto well. But those that knew him well enough, knew that he had two offices in every KaibaCorp location. One - the main one - was always located on the upper most floor, not in a corner, but large enough to hold a desk with three monitors and a conference table to seat eight.

The second one was by itself, on a floor with no other Kaiba employees - in some cases, it was in an entirely different building. It was just a basic office with a standard desk, a chair, a few files, and maybe a small window.

The big office was where he greeted guests, held meetings, and generally acted like one of the most important CEOs in the country.

The little office was where he actually got work done.

Seto spent most of the morning in the little office catching up on tasks waylaid by yesterday's schedule adjustments. Then there were meetings - in the big office - with accounting, and with development.

And a debriefing with marketing and Kaiba Entertainment. Which meant meeting with Dice Boy.

It hadn't been Seto's intention to hire Otogi for a management-level position, but it had been unavoidable. The man had been the top student in the country for entertainment management and had two years experience with another successful entity when KaibaCorp was looking for candidates. After reading Otogi's unfortunately impressive resume, Seto didn't even bother to interview the man. They had one, three minute phone call.

"You will be working for me. You will report to me. We will speak frequently, and in all decisions you will have to obey me. I will sign your paycheck and I will approve or deny your vacation requests. Do you understand that?"

"Of course."

"Are you willing to accept that?"

Otogi had scoffed. "I will work the hours I want on projects and artists that are worth my time. I expect my budget to be virtually limitless and my authority in my department to be final. And I don't accept shit from anyone. If it's bullshit, I'm calling it bullshit, and that goes for you and anyone else. Are you willing to accept that?"

It was no less than Seto had expected. "Fine. You start Monday. 9am. After that, you may set your own schedule."

"Monday, 9. Ok. Boss."

It was the first, and to date, the only time Seto had heard the word 'boss' escape Dice Boy's lips. And it annoyed Seto to no end that Otogi had taken Kaiba Entertainment from an industry newcomer to a world powerhouse.

"So that's all the boring stuff." Otogi closed his folder and capped his pen decisively - his visual cue that he was done discussing business. "You guys can go. Richards, see if you can get Two+Two out of that Virgin contract; if they want a buyout and it's five-figures or less, pay it. And Stark, find out what the fuck happened in KaibaLand Florida last week. Fly down there if you have to. A little rain storm does not justify the revenue dip they had." Otogi gave Seto an inquiring look. When Seto nodded slightly, Otogi waved the staff out.

The two men waited in silence for the team to leave.

When the door clicked shut, Otogi leaned back in his chair. "So who is it, when are you meeting them, and do you know what this has done to your profile?"

"I have no intention of sharing my personal life with you." Seto poured himself another cup of tea. "And I'm sure my profile will survive any minor controversy."

"Survive!" Otogi laughed. "OMG! Your profile has exploded! I mean, you were popular in a few circles. Gaming, dueling, the finance world. You've always been in top 100 search terms. But since you admitted on world TV that the person you like doesn't like you, you have been the number one search term on Google, Bing, and every other engine we track. Marriage offers have been flooding in. Everyone wants to know who it is you love."

"Including you?"

"Including me. But I just want to control the flow of information."

"As I said, I wish to keep the name private."

"And I'm just presuming that they haven't shown up?"

"Otogi, has it occurred to you that there is actually no one to show up? That I made the whole thing up?"

"No." The man looked serious. "You won't believe me, but you can see when someone is in love. And when you sang that song, there was no doubt. Why do you think it's gone so wild? Your charming personality? One look at that video and anyone with a heart knows the truth."

Seto sighed. "No one has shown up and I doubt anyone will."

"Well, if they do, we are planning to open a Candyland in California this summer. That would be a perfect time for you to perform a follow-up song and introduce 'the one that you've been waiting for forever'."

"I am not doing a follow-up."

Otogi waved the rejection off. "We have a few months before we need to record. So, yin and yang, it's someone who's your opposite, you’re ice blue, so they must be red hot, I guess. I'm thinking Dog and Dragon are your birth years. Am I close?"

"I hadn't considered the Chinese zodiac. That's an interesting spin."

"Oh, do a web search! There are a million theories." Otogi checked his watch. "I'd better scoot. I know you'd prefer to keep everything about your personal life hidden, but just remember - if I don't know who it is, I can't keep the press from driving your true love crazy."

* * * * *

Seto returned to his small office. It was 6pm and most of his employees had gone for the day.

He did not make an appearance. Seto tried not to be disappointed by that.

_If I could I'd catch a falling star  
To shine on you  
So I'll know where you are_

Seto actively put his mind back on business.

His phone buzzed.

"Yes, Janet?"

"Mr. Kaiba, there's a Yugi Mutou here to see you."

Seto raised an eyebrow. Why would Mutou come....

He didn't think....

What was he even doing in New York?

"Tell him I'm out of the office." Seto disconnected the intercom.

"Just gonna flat out lie," a voice said from the doorway. His voice. "Wow."

_You're a genie in disguise  
Full of wonder and surprise._

Seto looked up to see Jounouchi Katsuya looking amused. Seto looked back at the computer screen and tried not to show his heart beating triple time. "I'm surprised to see you here. I didn't know you were even in America."

"Yeah, I'll bet. Family reunion; my grandparents do it every five years whether anybody wants them to or not. Yugi came to keep me from killing my relatives." Jounouchi chuckled. "So, she show up yet?"

"She who?"

Jounouchi tsked. "You know! Anzu! It was pretty obvious."

Seto leaned back in his chair, partly stunned and partly amused. The boy must have left his brain in Candyland. "You think Anzu is to whom I was speaking. Those clues refer to her?"

"I didn't even listen to those." Jounouchi sat on the corner of Seto's desk. "That was just a cover. You totally gave it away when you said that she wasn't interested in you. She's the only girl that's not. Besides, once I watched the video, I realized that you were looking right at her the whole time."

"Was I?"

"She was right behind me an' Yugi, and we were the only people standing where you were looking."

"I see." The boy must be blind, Seto thought. "So you saw the concert footage for the first time...."

"Yesterday. Yugi played the interview for me." Jounouchi shook his head and laughed. "That Yugi! I love him, but he gets the craziest ideas. You will never guess who he thought you meant."

"Himself, obviously."

"Nah, that was my second guess, actually. I said that if he could figure out all the clues, then maybe the message was meant for him. He thought you meant me."

Seto mentally increased his opinion of Mutou's intelligence. "But you thought the clues meant him."

Jounouchi shrugged. "I told you, I never even got that far. Once you said they weren't interested and that it was a girl -"

"I never said it was a girl."

Jounouchi looked at him, open-mouthed, for a moment. "What?"

"I never answered that question. I have the interview bookmarked. Here. Watch the whole thing. I'd be curious what your unique interpretations think I meant." Seto began typing. "Actually, the whole thing has been rather like a Rorschach Test. Each clue means something different to each viewer." He turned the monitor toward Jounouchi and pushed play.

Seto watched Jounouchi's face as he watched the video. The blond looked a bit impatient with the talking heads, and then smiled just slightly as the song played. Seto found himself wishing that Jounouchi would smile at him that way. And then shivered as he realized that the man was watching him and smiling that way. Maybe....

Seto paused the player when the talking head claimed he was 'off the market'. "Do you agree?"

Jounouchi shrugged. "You got more money than God, an' you ain't an old fart like most rich guys. Yeah, you're pretty eligible."

"I was referring to her implication that I appear to be interested in someone."

"Oh. Duh. Clearly. From this camera angle on the MV, I can see my shirt sleeve right there, and you're looking dead at it. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were singing to me. Well, Anzu, since she's behind me."

Seto rolled his eyes, and tried not to let the impatience and frustration show. Blind and dense. He re-started the player.

And paused it again a few seconds latter while the audience was goading him into putting his heart publicly on his sleeve. "Well?"

"Man!" Jounouchi laughed heartily. "She didn't give you a split second to say anything! Ok, so you didn't say girl. Which means if not Anzu, Yugi."

"Because...?"

"Because there were only three of us standing there, and..." The man shrugged again. "And Yugi makes the most sense."

"Really." Seto re-started the video and stopped it after the first clue. "Yin and yang?"

Jounouchi looked thoughtful. "Well, actually, first - you knew Anzu doesn't watch those morning talk shows, so I'll bet you figured she'd never see it." His expression went doubtful. "Except that Yugi watches them religiously, so if you meant him, he would have seen it. Huh."

"And what about you? Do you watch them?"

"Eh. Usually no, those talk show people always sound like brainless talking heads to me. But when I hang with Yugi, I kinda got no choice." Jounouchi looked back at the screen. "Oh. The name-private thing too. I mean, whoever you meant has to be someone who knows how antisocial you are which means it can't be someone who knows you from here or from the parks. They all get that fake 'trust-me-i'm-a-nice-guy' routine of yours. Pretty much the only people who know what a closed-mouth asshole you are is us. I mean, Mokie, and probably your secretary and that security guy who's usually attached to your hip -"

"Roland."

"- yeah, him. But otherwise, you only show your real face to me, Yugi, Anzu, Honda, the gang. And that's only 'cause you got caught up in that whole Yami-thing."

"True."

"But Yin-yang. Hm. Most people would say male-female, but that's too obvious. Huh. You're tall, Yugi's short. Can't be smarts - Yugi and Anzu are both in the advanced classes."

"And you?"

Jounouchi laughed. "Well, I'm not failing, but let's just say I won't be getting a scholarship on academic merit. Maybe for financial need."

"You are poor," Seto pointed out.

"Well there's a news flash."

"And I am rich." Jounouchi shrugged again, and Seto played the next clue. "Blue and red?"

"Too easy! Blue-eyes, white dragon. It's been your signature card for years. And Yugi has the Red-eyes, black dragon. Black and white could have meant almost anything, but you went with the eye color so that made it obvious."

"Yugi may have the card, but nearly all references to it are linked to you. It is very much your signature."

"I haven't had it in a couple years."

"But do you deny that the card is most strongly associated with you?"

"Well, no, but -"

"Very well." Seto cut off Jounouchi's denial. "Next clue."

Jounouchi's eyes widened a bit and his complexion went both pale and slightly pink. "Well...yeah. I am the only person I've ever heard you call a 'dog'. And since 'Kaiba' actually means 'dragon', I guess that's what I call you." His cheeks went a shade darker. "I mean, what everyone calls you."

"I see." Seto played the next clue. "Well?"

Jounouchi nodded slowly. "Half my deck are luck cards." He gestured to the screen and Seto played the next phrase. "Heh. You always have dignity." Jounouchi looked at him. "You were worried that - that whoever would be too embarrassed to see you once they figured all this mess out? That's dumb. The whole thing's kinda romantic."

"Is it?" Seto smirked. Romance. Not something of which he had ever thought himself capable.

"Sure. The song's sweet, and you being too scared to confess like some kid in junior high is priceless! Especially that last line - write your name across the sky, anything you ask I'll try? You could give whoever you love the whole world, practically."

"I could, yes." Seto nodded. He planned to - just as soon as the idiot figured it out! He reached to re-start the video, but stopped. "Out of curiosity, why did you come here today?"

"Yugi didn't want to come alone."

"Ah. But that does not explain why you are here and he is not."

"Yeah, funny that. Like I said, I figured it was Anzu or Yugi, and he figured it was me - which kinda makes sense now, I guess. So I told him he should come over and see 'cause, what the hell, right? But he wouldn't come without me. And I figured coming before 5 would mess with your work day. Mokie says you never leave the office before 6:30 anyhow, so I figured 6 was a good time. Before you left for the day, but not while you're doing any real work."

"Astute. But how did you know here? This office, not the main suite?"

"Oh, that. We were in the elevator, and Yugi hit the button for the penthouse. Then I remembered that one time when you showed us your private office back home. Well, not intentionally showed us." He laughed. "More like you had to get something and we followed. But your secretary was sorting mail and mentioned that sometimes stuff went the wrong way because your private office had the same suite number in every city. 2501."

"And you remembered that?"

"It kinda stuck out - that's my birthday, 25 January. I thought it was a funny coincidence."

"Coincidence. Yes." Blind, dense and hopelessly naïve!

Seto let the interview play to its end, watching Jounouchi's face. The man seemed to not see the screen; as if his whole attention was turned to his own thoughts.

"So, in summary." Seto turned off the computer before the next talking head clip played. "You were not watching the broadcast. You know I prefer privacy. You are a poor yin to my rich yang. You knew red and blue referred to dragon eyes. You are called dog, while I am called dragon. You play luck cards. You knew I was concerned about the dignity of a televised confession. And you knew not only when to meet me, but that I would be in a New York office identified by your date of birth."

"Uh..." Jounouchi looked stunned. His face was deep red at his cheeks and radiated out to bright pink at his forehead and neck. "Uh...yeah."

_Pour a rainbow in your favorite shade_  
_To show I love you_  
_Thinking of you_

Seto had to smile; that was the one line of the song he didn't understand. Now, seeing Jounouchi in an adorable rainbow, Seto decided that pink was his favorite shade.

"I cannot help, therefore, but to ask again: why are you here?"

Jounouchi licked his lips and swallowed hard. "I think...'cause you invited me?"

"You think."

"Yeah." Jounouchi's voice cracked slightly, and his rainbow went a shade deeper. He cleared his throat and a grin crept across his face. "Uh, yeah. But, see that's one thing that doesn't fit at all - so it can't be me you invited."

Seto blinked. His first thought derailed and he had to quickly close his mouth and formulate another.

Blind, dense, naïve, and aggravating!

"I see. What, out of pure masochism rather than curiosity, what portion of that confession does not indicate you as my intended target?"

Jounouchi's grin widened. "You said that they had never shown any interest in you."

Seto blinked again. "And just when - exactly - have you shown even the vaguest interest in me?" He cocked his head to one side. "I may be antisocial, but I assure you, I am neither stupid or blind."

Jounouchi laughed loudly. "Seriously? Dude, you called me 'dog' or worse everyday for, like, three years! I routinely put a beat down on guys who did less than that even once! Shit, I beat the hell outta Yugi before we became friends - an' that was 'cause he was a nerd! You think I'd let you talk to me like trash 'cause I was afraid of you?" He laughed again. "Hell, I been tryin' to get on your radar for years!"

"I am well aware of your reputation for violence. I have Roland now because I continuously allowed my personal safety to lax to allow you an opportunity to confront me alone. I had intended to talk you out of a possible fight by offering to buy you dinner."

"Dinner?"

"And hopefully more."

Jounouchi chuckled. He seemed amused by the irony of it all. "Hey, rich boy." He eyed Seto in an expression the executive had never seen - not aimed at himself at least. "Buy me dinner or I'm gonna pound you."

"Golly." Seto found himself smiling too. "I wouldn't want to be pounded." He wasn't sure, but he suspected his own face was a bit red. "At least, not with your fist."

The computer was already off. Seto flicked off his desk lamp and turned to stand up.

"Wait." Jounouchi grabbed Seto's shoulder gently. Before Seto could respond, Jounouchi's lips connected with his own.

The kiss was sweet and chaste and made Seto's heart beat triple time again. Remember this moment, Seto told himself - the time, the place, the position. The soft feel of Jounouchi's lips, the scent of some floral hotel soap, the warmth of Jounouchi's hand on his shoulder. Even the soft hum of the building's HVAC. Seto committed their first kiss to memory with as much detail as he could gather without breaking it to take a photo. It was a moment he had dreamt of for years.

And yet, it was not enough.

Seto reached up and slipped his hand along Jounouchi’s neck. Soft hair brushed lightly against his wrists, inviting his fingers to play with the silken locks.

He wasn't sure which of them opened their lips first, or which of them groaned, but Seto felt as if he were falling, flying and melting all at the same time. It was disorienting and unnerving, and yet delightful and heavenly. Candyland. It seemed like Seto had been waiting his whole life for this one moment. He'd been waiting for forever.

_Forever._

Finally, they parted. It wasn't Seto's first choice, but apparently breathing was a requirement.

"Golly," Jounouchi breathed with a ghost of a smile.

"Wow," Seto replied in kind.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so I am cleaning out the vault and obviously this is not being posted in January. But this was written as a Jou birthday piece, so I'm dating it accordingly. Live with it.


End file.
